Originally Published in the Huffington Post

When I stepped onstage at TEDxBerkeley, the bright lights momentarily blinded me from seeing the audience of 2,000. Like so many other people, I had dreamed of this opportunity for years but wasn’t sure if it would ever become a reality. In fact, the professional path I’d been on for the previous few years didn’t lead me to the TEDx stage in any evident way. I’d been deeply entrenched in the world of national security, where I worked long days preparing high-ranking military officials for their deployments to war zones. The role came with minimal public speaking duties, and the speeches I did deliver tended to be quantitative recitations of facts, numbers and recommendations that would help public officials adjust to their new lives overseas. … Read More